Midrash su Deuteronomio 24:14

“Judah was exiled due to affliction and great enslavement. She settled among the nations, did not find rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits” (Lamentations 1:3).
“Judah was exiled.” Are the nations of the world not exiled? Rather, even though they are exiled, their exile is not exile. The nations of the world who eat of their bread and drink of their wine, their exile is not exile.⁸³They assimilate into their new surroundings, symbolized by the fact that they consume the bread and wine of the people in their new surroundings. Consequently, they do not experience exile as acutely as Jews experience it. Israel, who do not eat of their bread and do not drink of their wine, their exile is exile. The nations of the world, who walk in their garments,⁸⁴They adopt the mode of dress of their new surroundings. their exile is not exile, but Israel, who walk barefoot, their exile is exile. That is why it is stated: “Judah was exiled.” Here it is stated: “Judah was exiled [galeta],” and there it is stated: “Judah was exiled [vayegal] from upon its land” (Jeremiah 52:27),⁸⁵The verse in Jeremiah uses the feminine form while the verse in Lamentations uses the masculine form. for once they were exiled, their power waned like a female. That is why it is stated: “Judah was exiled [galeta].”
“Due to affliction [me’oni],” it is because they ate leavened bread on Passover, just as it says: “You shall not eat with it leavened bread; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction [oni]” (Deuteronomy 16:3). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they took the collateral of a poor man [ani] into their homes, just as it says: “If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his collateral” (Deuteronomy 24:12). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they withheld the wages of hired laborers, just as it says: “You shall not exploit a poor [ani] or indigent hired laborer” (Deuteronomy 24:14). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they stole the gifts of the poor, just as you say: “You shall leave them for the poor [ani] and the stranger” (Leviticus 19:10, 23:22). Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they ate the tithe of the poor; Rabbi Beivai and Rabbi Huna [said] in the name of Rav: One who eats produce from which the tithe of the poor was not taken is liable to receive the death penalty. Alternatively, “due to affliction [me’oni],” because they engaged in idol worship, just as it says: “It is a sound of crying [anot] that I hear” (Exodus 32:18).⁸⁶Moses said this when he heard the sound of the people worshipping the Golden Calf. Rabbi Aḥa said: It is the sound of lauding idol worship that I hear.⁸⁷This is Rabbi Aḥa’s explanation of the phrase from Exodus 32:18. Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Yosei: There is no generation that does not receive [punishment] due to the sin of the Calf.

It is written (in Josh. 7:19): THEN JOSHUA SAID UNTO ACHAN: <MY SON, PLEASE GIVE GLORY TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL AND MAKE A CONFESSION TO HIM. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. DO NOT HIDE IT FROM ME.> Achan said to him: Am I to die because of this thing that you are saying unto me?¹⁰Tanh., Numb. 10:5; Numb. R. 23:6. When Achan saw <the situation>, he said in his heart: Now I shall be entrapped by the lot. Then I shall be found untrue (rt.: 'MN) and deemed a liar before Joshua. At that moment Achan said to Joshua: Why are you casting lots between me and my house? Let me cast lots between you and Phinehas! If the lot does not come up for both of you, I also shall believe (rt.: 'MN). At that moment (according to Josh. 7:19) [THEN] JOSHUA SAID {TO} [UNTO] ACHAN: MY SON, PLEASE GIVE GLORY TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL AND MAKE A CONFESSION [TO HIM]. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. Achan said to him: You also tell me what you have done. Immediately discord broke out in Israel, so that <Achan's> tribe of Judah arose in strife and killed one group after another in Israel. When Achan saw this, he said in his heart: If anyone saves a single life in Israel, it is as though he had saved the entire world; yet in my case, it has been through me that so many people in Israel have been killed. I am a sinner and one who causes <others> to sin. It is better <for me> to confess my transgression before the Holy One and before Joshua, so that no calamity come about through me. What did Achan do? He arose and made his voice heard, so that the whole congregation became silent before him. He said to Joshua (in vs. 20): I AM THE ONE WHO REALLY SINNED BEFORE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL. THUS AND SO (literally: LIKE THIS AND LIKE THIS) IS WHAT I HAVE DONE. So it was not THIS alone, but I have already acted fraudulently in other matters.¹¹See Gen. R. 85:14, according to which Achan had acted dishonestly in the person of his great grandfather, Zerah, the son of Judah by Tamar. Joshua said to him: Indeed I also knew that you were responsible for the situation. (Josh. 7:19:) PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. DO NOT HIDE IT FROM ME. (vs. 21): I SAW AMONG THE SPOILS. [He had said to himself:] I have seen what is written in the Torah (in Deut. 20:14): YOU MAY EAT THE SPOILS OF YOUR ENEMIES. (Josh. 7:21) <I SAW AMONG THE SPOILS> A FINE SHINAR MANTLE…. Now do not say that I am poor and in need, for there is no one in the tribe of Judah more wealthy than I. Immediately (there follows vs. 22): THEN JOSHUA SENT MESSENGERS, AND THEY RAN TO THE TENT…. For what reason did Joshua send them? So that the tribe [of Judah] would not steal them (i.e., the stolen articles) and continue in the discord. Joshua therefore sent quickly, AND (according to vs. 23) THEY BROUGHT THEM UNTO JOSHUA AND UNTO ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; AND THEY SPREAD THEM OUT BEFORE THE LORD. What is the significance of AND THEY SPREAD THEM OUT? Joshua said: Sovereign of the World, is it because of these that you have been angry with your children? Here they are set before you. Immediately <we read> (in vs. 24): THEN JOSHUA, <AND ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM,> TOOK ACHAN ACHAN BEN ZERAH, <THE SILVER, THE MANTLE, AND THE WEDGE OF GOLD,> [TOGETHER WITH HIS SONS AND HIS DAUGHTERS.] <He took> HIS SONS AND HIS DAUGHTERS in order to teach them a lesson, but HIS OX, HIS ASS, < … > AND HIS TENT <he took> for burning. <He took> ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM to see his punishment so that they would not become accustomed to acting in this way. (Vs. 24, cont.:) AND THEY BROUGHT THEM UP TO THE VALLEY OF ACHOR (akhor; rt.: 'KR). (vs. 25:) THEN JOSHUA SAID: JUST AS YOU HAVE AFFLICTED (rt.: 'KR) US, [MAY THE LORD AFFLICT (rt.: 'KR) YOU] THIS DAY.¹²Without the bracketed words, the verse would read: HOW YOU HAVE AFFLICTED US THIS DAY! THIS DAY <only> is he to be afflicted ('akhur; rt.: 'KR), but he will have a share in the world to come. (Vs. 25, cont.:) THEN ALL ISRAEL PELTED HIM WITH STONES, him alone, AND THEY BURNED THEM WITH FIRE. The text is speaking of his wealth, for so it had been told him by the Almighty (in vs. 15): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN SEIZED WITH WHAT HAS BEEN PROSCRIBED SHALL BE BURNED WITH FIRE TOGETHER WITH ALL THAT HE HAS. <This passage> is only to teach you that Achan had confessed that he had stolen them on the Sabbath, when he took them out of Jericho and concealed them in the midst of his tent. Thus he was stoned for profaning the Sabbath and burned because he had transgressed the ban. And where is it shown? You find that the Holy One said so to Joshua (in Josh. 6:2–4): SEE, I HAVE GIVEN JERICHO INTO YOUR HANDS, ALONG WITH ITS KING AND THE MIGHTY WARRIORS. SO YOU SHALL GO AROUND THE CITY WITH ALL THE MEN OF WAR TO ENCOMPASS THE CITY ONE TIME. THUS SHALL YOU DO FOR SIX DAYS WITH SEVEN PRIESTS…. <BUT ON THE SEVENTH DAY YOU SHALL GO AROUND THE CITY SEVEN TIMES, AND THE PRIESTS SHALL BLOW ON THE SHOPHARS. This passage serves> to teach you that Jericho was conquered on the Sabbath. Now Joshua did this thing on his own with the Holy One giving his consent. Joshua said (to himself): The Sabbath is holy, as stated (in Exod. 31:14): YOU SHALL KEEP THE SABBATH, BECAUSE IT IS HOLY FOR YOU. So whatever we conquer on it shall be holy, as stated (in Josh. 6:19): BUT ALL THE SILVER AND GOLD, [AND THE VESSELS OF BRONZE AND IRON, ARE HOLY TO THE LORD]. And where is it shown that he gave his consent? Where it is stated (in Joshua 6:17): [THE CITY] AND EVERYTHING IN IT <ARE TO BE> PROSCRIBED FOR THE LORD. At that time (according to Josh. 7:26) THE LORD TURNED FROM HIS BURNING ANGER. Concerning <this matter>, it is stated (in Prov. 16:14): THE KING's ANGER IS LIKE MESSEGERS OF DEATH, AND WHOEVER IS WISE WILL APPEASE IT. This refers to Joshua, who caused the burning anger of the Lord to turn away from Israel.

(Devarim 24:14) "You shall not oppress a hired laborer": But it is already written (Vayikra 19:13) "You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob, etc." We are hereby taught that one who holds back the wages of a hired man transgresses five negative commandments (including the two above) and one positive commandment: (Vayikra 19:13) "There shall not abide with you the wages of a hired man," (Devarim, Ibid.) "You shall not oppress a poor hired laborer," (Ibid. 15) "In his day shall you give his wage" (the positive commandment), and (Ibid.) "and the sun shall not go down upon it."